Malicious Intent (Soulscape #5)

CH 4

"Here. Drink this." Dennis placed a cup of hot tea before Marlene.

"Thank you." She cradled the warm cup in her palms and took a sip.

Dennis cleared away the debris of used Kleenex and tossed them in the trash can. "Are you going to be okay if I go back to work?" He sat beside her and rubbed her back. "I'm just a phone call away."

She sniffed and dabbed her eyes with a fresh Kleenex. "Yeah." She smiled weakly and touched his arm. "Go. I'll be fine." She leaned against him. "I-I'm not sure how to tell Benny about his father."

"I'll talk to him," Dennis said. "You don't have to say anything. Just try to relax today, and rest. When I get home this evening, I'll explain everything to Benny." He kissed her head and stood up. "Things are going to be better now, for you and Benny. Maybe for all of us."

Marlene sipped her tea. "I'll... I'll need to get a job." She bit her lip. "I don't know how to do anything except being a wife and mother. Randall didn't let me be anything else."

"Hey." Dennis sank back into the chair. "Don't worry about that right now. You and Benny are my family and I'll take care of you. We'll figure this out together, okay. I promise I'll never leave you and Benny to fend for yourselves."

Marlene hugged him, choking up again. "I love you, Dennis Hawkins," she whispered. "I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law. You're the very best."

"And you're the best sister a man could hope for." He held her tighter, noting a slight tension in the woman. She was going through a lot—tension was a given. Dennis drew back. "I hate to bring this up right now, but we need to decide what to do about funeral services."

Shaking her head, Marlene left the table, arms sliding around her trembling body. "You can do whatever you like with him," she whispered. "I don't care. I'm not going to his funeral. I just want him gone."

Dennis nodded. "We don't need to have a funeral. I'll take care of Randall."

She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Thank you, Dennis." She faced him. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You were the one who was always there for us, not Randall. Because of you, Benny had a role model, someone decent to look up to. And you'll never know how much that means to me."

"Sis..." Dennis went to her and hugged her again. "You and Benny brought as much to my life. You're all the family I've ever had, and I love you both like crazy." He kissed her hair and squeezed her in his arms. "We'll be family to the end."

Marlene laid her head on his shoulder, her arms tightening around him. "I'll never understand why I married Randall," she whispered. "I knew in my heart he wasn't a good man."

Dennis knew the answer—Randall had seduced an innocent, inexperienced Marlene and gotten her pregnant. She married Randall because he was the father of her baby and she thought it was the right thing to do. Dennis lived with the guilt of not warning her against his half-brother. She would have listened to him, but he'd kept quiet. To this day, he didn't know why.

• • •

Frank and Alec worked together to clear out the room, piling the bureau and rug in a heap to be hauled away later. Alec tossed the yellowed filmy curtains on top of the pile, still attached to the rusty curtain rod.

"We should burn it," Alec said.

"I think it's fire season. We can't burn. It could start a forest fire."

"Fire is pure," Alec murmured. "It cleanses."

"It also destroys—homes, property, lives. Once it's out of control, it's extremely difficult to stop." He sighed. "So, we have to be careful."